Dopplereffekt - Cellular Automata (Full Album)

I'm Not One Of Those DJs Who . . . Part The Second

I’m spewing this stuff out on Record Store Day, a pointless piece of self-promotion which satisfies the vanity of a relative few, at the expense of those for whom vinyl is a way of life. It was when I interviewed DJ Guy a couple of years ago that I realised this. He had a double EP slated for release on the Danish label Nord at the end of March 2015, but when I interviewed him in June it still hadn't come out. This was due to the few pressing plants left being completely snowed under by Record Store Day special editions. So while I’m all for anything that engages people with music of all forms, Record Store Day can do one.

I completed a mix this week and, as said in the accompanying post, they evolve in spite of themselves. Mine always seem to start off really well, but then I try too hard, shoehorn tracks in which maybe shouldn’t be there, and the whole thing falls apart. Let me elaborate. I’ve been the quintessential bedroom DJ for a long time now. Record collector, music consumer in earnest since July 1977, an obsession which continues to occupy my mind most of the time. 'Looking For The Perfect Beat was The Soul Sonic Force's mantra, and it’s been mine as well for the past twenty five years or so. It’s enough for a few seconds of a mix to be a slight gallop to do my head in. Two hours can be ruined by ten seconds. I’ll play the offending part back over and over again and try to convince myself that there’s nothing wrong, but it’s always there, gnawing away on an undercurrent of discontent.

Having recently resumed the cataloguing of my record collection on Discogs, I’m a little depressed at how many of my records I want to sell, and at how much money I’ve wasted down the years. More than that though, is the fact that so much of the really good part of my collection got damaged during last year’s flood, while what I’ve been filing over the last week or so escaped unscathed. Poker Flat, Minus, Highgrade . . . What was I thinking? Putting all my Underground Resistance and Mills stuff at water level . . . I suppose I’m very motivated now though; motivated to slowly restore what I lost with better stuff.

Having said that, for the first time in a while there’s not as much good stuff out there as usual. I haven’t done a chart this year. I guess I’m not feeling as inspired as normal. I am more inclined to delve into the past and spend money on Discogs, forever mindful of getting ripped off, than buy new releases, my current collection being a reminder of taste’s transitory nature. This is a good interview. A simple philosophy with a timeless message. I’m going for it.

April 2017 Mix

It's my last day off, so a hastily arranged mix, even though I've been intending to do it today for a while. Like an orderly French queue which chaotically evaporates at the first sight of its bus, my best laid plans often come to nothing and spontaneity sets in. Not a bad thing in itself, but I must be more strategic from now on.

Here's what's on it: 

B1 – SW (Sued 015)

People Fix (Huerco S Remix 1) – Olin (Giegling)

A – Cottam 6 (Cottam)

Lost Of Light – Powder (ESP Institute)

Astrolook – Danny Dorado (Adult Contemporary)

Moments In Limbo – Present From A Small Distant World (Aroma Pitch)

In My Head – Gemini (Classic)

Scepsis – Versalife (Trust)

Infinition – Quadrant (Planet E)

Cassandra (Fred P Remix) – Donato Dozzy (Claque Musique)

Rider – 100hz (Modugoove)

Dead Soul (Joey Anderson Remix) – Hunter/Game (Just This)

Nebula – Autre & Xinner (Metrolux)

Femweh – Artefakt (Delsin)

Pulse – JS Zeiter (MCMLXV)

Bassoon – Mark Ambrose (Mosaic)

Gen – Carrying Ghosts (Feel Raw)

Call – Lynx (Bau)

Skyfall (Deniro Aude Mix) – Tracey (Voyage Direct)

Regain Your Soul – Dwayne Jensen (Is Was)

Dystopia – Inge Mauer (Shtum)

0938342-2/26 – Istar (Zeinkali)

Yours – Baaz (Office)

Rotunde – Aera (Hivern Discs)

Bringing Slide Back – Seldom Seen (Frustrated Funk)

A Tape - Helena Hauff (Dark Entries)

Title: A Tape

Artist: Helena Hauff

Label: Dark Entries

Cat Number: DE-149

Genre: Techno/Noise/Abstract

A1: C45p

A2: Hdowed

A3: For I Am Dead

B1: Pps

B2: Tape?

B3: Split Scission

C1: Ff297-3

C2: Btdr1123

C3: I#+ #1

D1: $§"$43

D2: 29acid3

D3: Yyh

Released two years ago on cassette, ‘A Tape’ gets its first outing on vinyl courtesy of Dark Entries. Some tracks stand out, others melt into the background; what unites them however, is a raw, abrasive, primal subtlety which exposes Hauff’s modus operandi in all its splendor. Known more as a DJ than producer, probably because it’s more fun, Hauff created a sound palette with ‘A Tape’, something from which to reference individual sonic inclination as much as stimulation. And, although the blend of the ambient/dissonant with the rhythmic is hardly ground breaking, it feels natural and uncontrived.

Body Hammer

Emblematic Ruin - Verge (Avian)

Title: Emblematic Ruin

Artist: Verge

Label: Avian

Cat Number: AVN029

Genre: Techno

1: Conduit

2: Thorri

3: Effigy

4: Transient

5: Deluge

6: Spleen

7: Hinterland

8: Suspension

The difference between what passes for ambient and noise is, amongst other things, tonal, as well as cerebral. I suppose it all depends what mood the listener is in. The industrialized overtones which cascade out of the speakers in response to this engagement offer little solace to me, however. If I’ve got to the point when I say “if I’ve heard one noise album, I’ve heard them all”, then it’s now. Love the sounds and their various mutations, but there is only so much to be done within this relatively narrow genre, and there’s very little here to broaden it.